Bayou Fitness Adjustable Dumbbells (Pair) Review

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The Bayou Fitness adjustable dumbbells are designed to save space in your home gym for any additional fitness equipment you might need, without sacrificing on the variety of resistance levels.

This product article takes a look at the design features in more detail, together with a summary of the customer reviews, and a comparison with another of the most popular sets of adjustable dumbbells; the Bowflex SelectTech 552’s.

Design features

With the large amount of space often found in commercial gyms, there’s plenty of room to provide large dumbbell racks for storing many sets of dumbbell.

Unfortunately, dedicating this amount of space to dumbbells isn’t always practical for a home gym, which is why the Bayou Fitness adjustable dumbbells are so useful.

Each dumbbell is provided with a storage tray on which you can securely rest each weight to adjust the level of resistance you need for an exercise.

By simply sliding the metal locking pin along the central track, you can then adjust the weight from 10 lbs, all the way up to 50 lb per dumbbell.

How many weight plates remain on each dumbbell when you lift it out of the storage tray is defined by the position of the locking pin. Closer to the end of the dumbbell holds more plates, while moving the pin closer to the handle results in fewer plates.

Any plates that you don’t have selected will remain safely in the tray until you finish your set, at which point you can slide the dumbbell back into its storage position.

Although the handles aren’t rubber coated, the diameter of the bar and textured knurling does provide some assistance with the grip, and is still comfortable to hold.

Bayou Fitness vs. Bowflex dumbbells

If you have already done some research into the different types of adjustable dumbbell available, two of the names most likely to appear in searches are Bayou Fitness and Bowflex.

While both have created their own sets of adjustable dumbbells, knowing what the differences are can be difficult to track down without actually seeing and using them.

Although there are various aesthetic differences in the look and feel of the dumbbells, two of the main functional differences are the increments of weight adjustment, and the way the weight is adjusted.

The Bowflex SelectTech 552’s for example have a large dial at either end of each dumbbell to make it quick and easy to adjust the weight to a clearly marked level.

In contrast, the Bayou Fitness sets rely on you lifting up a locking pin, then sliding it to a position where the required weight plates will be held to the bar.

In terms of the different weight increments, the Bowflex adjustable dumbbells have a much finer range than the Bayou Fitness version. They allow you to adjust the weight on each dumbbell from 5 to 52.5 lbs in just 2.5 lb increments, up until you reach the heavier weights over 25 lb.

Alternatively, the Bayou Fitness set lets you adjust the weight on each dumbbell by 5 lbs each time, from 10 lb all the way through to the full 50 lb.

A few other differences worth bearing in mind before making a decision are the grip, warranty, and price.

In comparing the price, it’s actually the Bayou Fitness adjustable dumbbells that come out on top, with the 50 lb set usually available for less than $200. This is compared to the $300 that you are likely to have to pay for a set of the SelectTech 552’s.

Customer reviews

With dumbbells being such a popular and important addition to many home gyms, there is no shortage of customer reviews sharing their ratings and opinions on the set after using them.

Although there are dozens of reviews available on Amazon alone, the average rating remains high, with the vast majority impressed by how easy it is to adjust the weight.

But there are also a number of other features and a couple of issues that are frequently mentioned throughout the reviews, which we have gathered together and added to the lists below.

They look good. They mechanically adjust flawlessly. The holders are perfect. They adjust by 5 lbs increments which is perfect when you are lifting in the 25 to 45 lb range. – Dan Ball Sr, Amazon Verified Purchase

Pros:

Cons:

• Longer than the equivalent size of fixed weight dumbbells
• Weight plates tend to rattle slightly during an exercise, although this is relatively common amongst adjustable dumbbells